Wednesday, October 27, 2010

CEBU CITY, Philippines - Law students of University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) in Cebu expressed relief on Wednesday over news that Department of Justice (DOJ) finally has the suspect behind the September 26 Bar exam blast.

Standing by their bond as "brods," Vice President Jejomar Binay and other members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity expressed full support for a fellow member tagged as a suspect in the bar exams explosion last September, saying they believed his protestations of innocence.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday started paying the honoraria of teachers who served in the last Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections last Monday in the amount of P2,000 each.

Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano earlier said the money intended for such purpose was already released from Manila even before the election day.

Castillano said they are releasing the money within the week as long as election officers are ready with their payroll.

Borbon Election Officer Alex Villacrucis has urged other towns to get the money at the Comelec office at the Capitol so it can be released immediately to teachers who served as board of election tellers (BET).

Villacrucis is one of those who first withdrew the money at the Comelec office yesterday and brought back the amount of P427,000 for the teachers.

"Lipay kaayo aning mga maestra kay magamit sa kalag-kalag," Villacrucis said. (Teachers will be happy with this because they will have something to use on All Souls' Day.)

The police in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday found money stapled to a sample ballot bearing the name of a candidate in barangay Punta Engaño, two days after the shooting incident in sitio Lupa which killed the driver of Angel Rodriguez, a candidate who ran for barangay captain.

The hangover from Monday's barangay elections is still there and it is still months away from the elections of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), but this early two names have already been floated for the position of president, which also has an ex-officio seat in the Cebu City Council.

MANILA, Philippines - A Commission on Elections official on Monday said a special fact-finding committee should investigate Comelec personnel who conducted deliveries of election materials to various municipalities during Monday's barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls, instead of relying on forwarders.

The House of Representatives will be holding its own inquiry into the delays in the delivery of election paraphernalia and other controversies that hounded the village and youth council elections even as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) formed a fact-finding body to look into these.

Amid problems that hounded the recent village and youth council elections, the Commission on Elections on Wednesday apologized to the public and admitted that they were not as prepared compared to the national elections last May.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said Wednesday that he wants the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) retained, but with major changes, especially in the age range of the members of the youth council.

A town councilor who was part of a group transporting ballot boxes was gunned down Tuesday night by two unidentified men in Balud town, Masbate, a police official said Wednesday.

Ronald Ariola, a Sangguniang Bayan (town council) member of Balud, accompanied by Army Corporal Sonny Mirabel, who was unarmed and in civilian clothes, were following a group of Board of Election Inspectors carrying ballot boxes from Barangay (village) Mapili when attacked by the two gunmen, said Chief Inspector Pelagio Samson, Bicol police spokesman.

Samson said the incident occurred at around 7 p.m. between Barangays Ilaya and Mapili.

Quoting the Balud police, Samson said the gunmen, who were clad in black jackets and armed with M16 rifles, approached Ariola and fired at him at close range.

The victim died on the spot from multiple gunshot wounds.

Mirabel, a friend of the victim, told the police he was unarmed and unable to retaliate.

Probers eyed politics, a land dispute, or personal grudge as probable causes for the killing.

Earlier, three people were killed and another was injured in another poll-related violent incident late Monday afternoon in Cawayan town in Masbate.

Police said two of those killed were brothers of the incumbent village chief. One of their assailants, a known supporter of the village's chief's rival in the election, died from hack wounds inflicted by a companion of the brothers.

Direct Current (HVDC) are currently out of the grid. The HVDC is the power that links from Luzon to Visayas and was unavailable starting 4:00 a.m. yesterday. The situation would continue up to 5:00 p.m. of Oct. 31 for scheduled maintenance activities.

As of 4:29 p.m. to 5:11p.m. yesterday Veco implemented a brownout at the North Reclamation area in Mandaue City and in the Barangays of Pahina San Nicolas, Duljo Fatima, Mambaling, Poblacion Pardo & Quiot Pardo in Cebu City, due to a power shortage in the grid of 200 megawatts.

Jennifer de Jesus, NGCP head of Public Relations, Corporate Communications said the Palimpinon Geothermal Power Plant 1 and 3 in Leyte were having a shutdown as well as the Energy Development Corporation in Malitbog Unit 2.

NGCP, the operator of t he country's power transmission highway, in a report yesterday stated that for the Visayas power outlook, the capacity is 1,110 megawatts but during peak load, power demand reaches 1,304 megawatts.

There was a power generation deficiency of -154 megawatts (mw) in the morning, -187 mw in the afternoon and -194 in the evening.

Antonio Labios, Department of Energy 7 Director, said that Kepco is already synchronized with the grid and currently has a plant output ranging from 20 megawatts to 25 megawatts.

The area below the damaged riprap in Sitio Tipolo, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City will be declared under a state of calamity due to the 'imminent danger' it poses to the 20 families who have built their houses below.

As he turns 56 today, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wishes for reconciliations between the city government and the province as well as those political rivals in the just concluded barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

The second most wanted person in Cebu region was arrested by authorities in Davao City last Monday, police said Wednesday.

Dionision Panogalin, 44, wanted for rape and with a reward of P100,000 for his arrest, was nabbed at Barangay Tomas Monteverde Sr., Davao City, said Senior Superintendent Ramon Rafael, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of Cebu.

Panogalin, a tricycle driver, is facing four counts of rape and was arrested based on a warrant issued by Judge Mercedez Goze-Dadole of Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Mandaue City.

Panogalin had eluded arrest for 12 years. He was being detained at the Davao City Police Office Detention Cell, before being turned over to the courts, police said.

HANOI, Vietnam - President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday issued a warning against people in government who are still trying to pull a fast one on the Aquino administration despite its crusade against graft and corruption.

The Philippines remains one of Transparency International's "highly corrupt" countries but the Aquino administration, elected on the promise of good governance, is unfazed and even welcomed the new rankings that showed the country's improvement in the area of good governance.

Senator Franklin Drilon on Wednesday defended President Benigno Aquino III's executive order (EO) suspending the bonuses and allowances of state firm executives, saying it was necessary to stop the "bleeding" of government coffers.

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has decided not to extend the effectivity of President Benigno Aquino's Memorandum Circular 2, which allows non-career service executive officers to stay in office till October 31 or till their replacements have been appointed.

MANILA, Philippines - Independent media group Newsbreak identified the researcher behind the plagiarism issue that has plagued the Supreme Court.

In an online story, Newsbreak named Michelle Ann U. Juan, a former law professor at the Ateneo de Manila Law School, as the researcher who helped put together a Supreme Court decision on a case filed by Filipino comfort women.

The decision, which was penned by Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, was found to have lifted several passages from the published works of legal experts abroad.

In a controversial decision of the Supreme Court en banc promulgated on October 12, the magistrates absolved Del Castillo. They said there was "no malicious intent" to pass off someone else's work as his own since the plagiarized materials in the decision were merely "accidentally deleted" by the ponencia's court researcher.

The decision did not name the researcher but, in an effort to establish the researcher's competence, provided several clues that led to Juan.

These include her law school (Ateneo, where she also taught law); academic honors (third in her class); her bar exam results (fourth placer); and her role in the school's law journal (editor-in-chief).

Except for Juan's masters degree and scholarship, all the other clues fit. Newsbreak's research showed that Juan studied International Law and Politics under a Hugo Grotius scholarship, not a degree in "International Law and Human Rights" under the "Global-Hauser program", as mentioned in the decision.

Newsbreak said Juan had worked at the Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & De Los Angeles law firm before joining Del Castillo when he was appointed to the Supreme Court. Del Castillo's wife, Cynthia, is a partner at the law firm.

The decision has caused an uproar among the legal and academic groups who are concerned of the wrong signal it could send to teachers and students. Newsbreak said this prompted some of its readers to share how they traced Juan.

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has set aside its earlier resolution granting the request of Hubert Webb, one of the principal accused in the killing of Estrellita, Carmela and Anna Marie Jennifer Vizconde, on June 30, 1991, for a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing and analysis of the semen specimen taken from the cadaver of Carmela, who was raped prior to her murder.

MANILA, Philippines - Former Senator Freddie Webb is set to ask the Supreme Court (SC) to dismiss criminal charges against his son, Hubert Webb, after the state lost vital evidence which, he said, could prove his son's innocence in a 19-year-old rape-murder.

"We warn our countrymen from carrying drugs when travelling overseas and especially not to accept packages which they suspect contain drugs, and also to be wary of the modus operandi being used by drug-trafficking syndicates. If they are caught, they will face very dire circumstances," he said.

The DFA has requested the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to continue its operations and redouble its efforts in light of the increasing involvement of Filipinas as drug mules.

The report stated that Merrett had requested for a video camera to be installed in his room to appease his worries about how he is being cared for by the nurses.

A road accident left Merrett paralyzed from the neck down. He has since been on life-support machine since 2002. BBC also reported that despite his condition, Merrett is able to use a wheelchair and operate a voice-activated computer.

However, after the accident with his ventilator, Merrett's sister Karren Reynolds told BBC that her brother's mind was reduced to that of a young child.

Malaya said that the UK Crown Prosecution Service found insufficient evidence to charge Aylward for grievous bodily harm.

Aylward is not facing any criminal charges but her license has been suspended by the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The Pinay nurse has declined to speak to media on the matter.

The embassy in London expressed its readiness to extend assistance to Aylward, and is actively monitoring the developments on the case.

MANILA, Philippines - The toll of Typhoon Juan on the country's farm sector has reached P10.59 billion, with the rice sector suffering the brunt of the storm, according to a report of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

As ATM and point-of-sales transactions total P11.3 billion in the first quarter and still counting, banks and financial institutions must address risks consumers face whenever they use their ATM and debit cards, BSP Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. said Wednesday. BSP Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. stressed this point Wednesday, noting that ATM and POS transactions totaled P11.3 billion in the first quarter.

In a speech at the launching of BancNet, Expressnet, and Megalink POS network interconnection Wednesday, Tetangco said that banks and financial institutions must adopt controls, measures, and information campaigns to ensure that customers know how to use their ATM and debit cards in as safe and secure a manner as possible.

"It is prudent to remember that while technology presents us with many opportunities, we must also remain vigilant of its attendant challenges and risks," the central bank chief said.

The Philippine Embassy in Jakarta said that from the information they got as of Wednesday morning, no Filipinos were affected by the tsunami and a 7.7-magnitude earthquake which struck off the coast of Sumatra Tuesday.

HANOI - Myanmar's election is a democratic farce, the Philippines said in a document outlining President Benigno Aquino II's position at an Asian summit this week where differences over the military-ruled nation could bring discord.

MANILA, Philippines – For several boxing analysts, Manny Pacquiao's November 13 fight against Antonio Margarito means so much more than just the Filipino fighter's attempt to win a record 8th world title.

Make that a double whammy for Powerade. Still feeling staggered by the sound beating they received at the hands of the mighty San Miguel Beermen, the Tigers found themselves beaten black and blue anew, this time against the fully-loaded Talk N Text Tropang Texters.

LONDON—James Bond's famous Aston Martin car was expected to raise over five million dollars when it goes on sale Wednesday, complete with gadgets including ejector seat, nail spreader and revolving number plates.